Conflicting Hearts
by onewaythrough
Summary: Scott is trapped, alone, defenseless and vulnerable, with no one fully certain of his whereabouts. A hopeful Logan confronts Jean and asks for a chance, and Jean is forced to make a decision.
1. Alone and Cold, but Alive

Notes: _Still _very new to Fanfiction, so please don't be too hard on me. This one's a one-shot on the mixed emotions Jean has towards Scott and Logan. Personally I prefer Jean-Scott.

Thanks for taking the time to read!

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It was dark, and it was cold, and it was moist, but he could see.

When the murky waters lapped hungrily at his waist, it was her that reached out with cautious fingers to touch him. It was her lips that locked gently with his, and her hands that found their way to his chest and began to stroke him there - so softly, so lovingly. It was the image of her face that rose, like a dream, in his mind and it was the feel of her body that he reached out for, longingly, his hands stretching to nowhere but the shadows.

It had always been her, and it always would be. He would bring her memories to the grave -that was where he was now, he supposed- and although he would never see her again, he would be contented with the pictures he'd already stored in his mind, pictures of her. Pictures of the two of them together...

He couldn't help feeling a sense of immense loss as he stared at the darkness ahead of him. He'd been here for days now, and he would have thought she'd already have come, but she hadn't...An image of Logan popped up abruptly, and he forced it away, refusing to believe in it, refusing to think his Jean would be loving someone else other than him.

No! He regretted if he'd ever done anything to hurt her before, anything that could possibly have turned her away from him, turned her to...Logan. The very thought of this man made his heart burn, made his stomach churn. At this moment, all he wanted to do was to hold her tight and kiss her so good, she'd believe he was the only man ever meant for her...

Her very name, when he said it out loud quietly to himself, was music to his ears. His salvation, his pride. His obsession. And softly, now, he repeated it to the darkness once more - just to hear the sound of her name and be comforted.

'Jean Grey.'


	2. Desire

Logan was facing her, and she saw in his eyes a long-suppressed desire, and her heart constricted. He reached out to touch her shoulder, with a bit of hesitance, and she pulled back, her eyes not daring to meet his.

He saw her discomfort and his eyes softened. He wanted to take her in his arms and tell her everything was going to be alright, but he didn't know how...She looked so helpless, so frightened, so vulnerable. He had hardly seen this side of her, and now that he had, he wanted all the more to love her and have her love him back.

'Logan...'

She spoke his name tenderly, and he knew that she loved him too -or a part of her, but she just didn't want to. Hell, he thought, she's right not to. If only...he pushed away the next thought firmly. She loves Summers and she should, a part of his mind berated him. The other half screamed with love and desire, and he didn't know which piece of him to believe, which stand to take.

Imploringly he trailed his fingers down her cheek, willing her to look at him. When she finally did, he was filled with such a strong urge to rest his lips against hers that he actually leaned forward and held her face so close to his that their noses were nearly touching.

Jean closed her eyes and waited, almost yearningly she realized, for the kiss that Logan was about to deliver. Then his hands found the way to her neck and she was suddenly reminded of Scott, Scott's arms wrapped around her torso, Scott planting a gentle kiss on the nape of her neck...and the realization of what she was about to do hit her heavily.

God, no, not to Scott...gasping, she pulled away swiftly from him and opened her eyes.

'No,' She breathed.

He met her gaze then, and with a shock she saw the faint trace of tears in his eyes.

'Please,' He said.


	3. The Rescue

They found him shivering and defenseless, but he was conscious, and that was all Jean needed. The temperature had been dropping several degrees each minute; judging from the cold right now, it was probably a mere ten degrees. His face was pale as death, and his arms stiff, but otherwise he seemed unhurt.

'Christ,' Scott's voice was a weak whisper as Jean waded rapidly towards him, with -he realized with dread- Logan, her face an expression of shock at the state he was in. 'I thought you'd never come.'

Then Jean's arms were around him, and he forgot the cold and the darkness and the fear. He forgot Logan and his heart; he forgot everything but her, and the feel of her warm arms and the soft touch of her lips against his.

'I would never leave you behind,' She was saying. Her voice was choked with emotion.

A pang of jealousy stabbed Logan sharply in the gut.

Scott felt a vast sense of tiredness creeping up on him. He smiled at her, his arms still underwater, still wrapped tightly around her waist as if frightened he would lose her again. The darkness was closing in on him already, and it were as if Jean was an angel in white, a ring of golden light that had come to take him home - although, of course, he saw the world in red all the time.

'I know,' He said softly, then as he gave in to the exhaustion and slipped into unconsciousness,

'I love you.'


	4. A Time for Everything

They were talking about him in the kitchen.

'You saved him,' Logan mumbled, not knowing exactly why he was so unhappy about a happy matter like this. His voice was quiet and slightly wounded, but he was clearly in control all the same.

Jean admired that about him.

She reached out to touch his shoulders, her eyes on his.

'I love him,' She said.

Her words were like a blow to his chest. Had she not heard anything he'd said? Didn't his words make as much sense as Scott's did? Why was it she insisted...?

'Where is he now?' Somehow he managed to find the words.

'Upstairs,' Jean told him. 'He's resting...'

He made out the fondness in her voice and almost wanted to destroy Scott for the worry he'd caused her. Did the man even know how much pain he'd created for her ever since she'd given her heart to him?

'Jean.' Logan looked at her straight in the eye and brushed his fingers lightly against hers. 'I don't want you to trouble yourself over this...'

'Who gave you the impression that I was?'

He shrugged. 'You care so much about him, but he doesn't even...'

'We've had this before.'

He looked at her eyes -they were hurt, and he knew she was upset because he wouldn't accept the fact that she loved Scott over him.

Well, he couldn't.

'Jean, we could try...' He drew her closer to him and held her tight, his beady eyes fixed softly on hers. 'He doesn't have to know.'

Jean was suddenly angry. Despite the sweetheart Logan usually was, who was he to interfere in her affairs? He had no right to tell her who she should and shouldn't love. He acted as if Scott didn't exist all the time, and suddenly she was livid about it.

Retreating briskly from his embrace, she stared at him and said, her voice cold, 'I choose Scott, Logan. Don't ever bother me with this from now onwards. I have better things to do.'

She started towards the kitchen door.

Pausing before the knob, she turned slightly so that he could see her from the side view. 'Thanks for the help today, Logan, in finding Scott. You truly are a great man.'

Then she pulled open the door and was gone, leaving a silent Logan gazing wordlessly after her back.

FIN


End file.
